1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for inventorying liquor. More particularly, the invention relates to a method of quickly and accurately determining the amount of liquor dispensed from a plurality of liquor bottles in a bar or restaurant during a shift or other time period by first separating the liquor bottles into categories based on cost or other criteria, weighing the liquor bottles in groups to determine the amount of liquor dispensed from each category of liquor, and then comparing the amount of liquor dispensed to the amount of revenue received for the liquor to determine the amount of liquor that was stolen, overpoured, or otherwise improperly dispensed.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Many bars, restaurants, and other liquor-serving establishments lose great sums of money due to liquor theft and/or accidental or intentional overpouring by bartenders and other employees. To discourage theft and overpouring, the owners or managers of many establishments attempt to monitor their employees while they dispense liquor. Unfortunately, liquor theft and overpouring are difficult to detect on an on-going basis because of the speed at which bartenders pour liquor, especially when busy.
Another way to discourage liquor theft and overpouring is to inventory liquor both before and after each shift to determine the amount of liquor dispensed (or stolen) during a shift and to then compare the amount of dispensed (or stolen) liquor to the amount of revenue received for sales of the liquor. Unfortunately, inventorying liquor is also difficult and time-consuming. For example, one prior art method of inventorying liquor involves individually weighing each liquor bottle in the establishment before and after a shift, then multiplying the weight of the liquor dispensed from each bottle by the cost of the liquor per unit weight of the bottle to obtain the total cost of liquor dispensed or stolen from each bottle. After all the bottles are weighed, the total cost of liquor dispensed from all the bottles is added and compared to the total revenue received for liquor sales to determine how much of the liquor was improperly dispensed or stolen.
Unfortunately, because most bars and restaurants have many different types of liquor all having different costs, these types of prior art liquor weighing systems require that each liquor bottle be individually weighed at the end of every shift and then placed back in its proper location behind the bar, an extremely time-consuming and inconvenient procedure, especially for large establishments. Thus, many bar owners or managers that use these prior art methods are reluctant to consistently inventory liquor after each shift, and instead frequently skip several shifts between inventory sessions. However, if inventories are not taken regularly, the owner or manager cannot accurately pinpoint which bartender or other employee stole or overpoured liquor when the liquor is finally inventoried after several shifts.